Sensitivity to the verb [±agentive] feature: The case of an aphasic subject

Available data show that semantic categories of nouns can be selectively impaired in aphasia. This study investigates whether category-specific effects can also be obtained with verbs. The [±agentive] feature is addressed, drawing on the case of an aphasic subject (CAN). CAN showed a clear dissociation between [+agentive] verbs vs. [-agentive] verbs (significantly more impaired). This pattern of performance was consistent across a battery of verb production tests (both in isolation and in context) and grammaticality judgements. The results provide evidence for the importance of the agentivity feature in the representation of verbs. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.